All four of my chick's have left the nest.

[Un_Petit_Rayon_de_Soleil]

Just wanted to update this post......My sweet 18 year old graduated from home education with her Associates degree with High Honors and is off to University. She has always been full speed ahead and did not let any obstacles slow her down. I have posted previously that she is an equestrian and has her back fused from T2 to L3 and was back to riding 30 days after surgery. Keeping her down is impossible. She has decided to hang up the show jacket to focus on a degree in Sports Medicine. Here are a couple photos that show her proudly wearing her scars and of her special day.

 

[Slickk]

Aww @HS4S_2 Congratulations to your daughter! And to you all! What a beautiful and smart young woman you have raised. Best of luck to her in University!
I thought of this quote the other day as I saw my new scar from yet another recent surgery…

My scars tell a story. They are a reminder of times when life tried to break me. And failed.

 

[Un_Petit_Rayon_de_Soleil]

Aww @HS4S_2 Congratulations to your daughter! And to you all! What a beautiful and smart young woman you have raised. Best of luck to her in University!
I thought of this quote the other day as I saw my new scar from yet another recent surgery…

My scars tell a story. They are a reminder of times when life tried to break me. And failed.

Thank you so much my friend. I love that quote. I will share this with her.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Congrats to your daughter! She is clearly a strong young woman with a clear path to success. Pride in our children is such a bright, glowing feeling!

 

[Mrsz1ppy]

Beautiful story. Thanks for sharing.

 

[MMtwo]

My baby (29) recently moved two hours away. I never told her how sad I was when she was moving so far away. I was happy about her adventures and experiences. Letting go is a mixed bag.

Sending a hug.

 

[Petalouda]

Congratulations!!!! What a beautiful accomplishment and how amazing your kids are doing well. My kids are 4 and 8 and I cry all the time thinking about them leaving and I already miss their younger years so much. I would love for my children to remain close to us and to each other when they are adults as it seems yours have. What advice, if you’re willing, would you give me on raising independent children and on fostering a close (but healthy) relationship with them and them with each other?

 

[Slickk]

Congratulations!!!! What a beautiful accomplishment and how amazing your kids are doing well. My kids are 4 and 8 and I cry all the time thinking about them leaving and I already miss their younger years so much. I would love for my children to remain close to us and to each other when they are adults as it seems yours have. What advice, if you’re willing, would you give me on raising independent children and on fostering a close (but healthy) relationship with them and them with each other?

My kiddos are adults and I have maintained a very healthy relationship with them as they’ve grown up. I would now call them real friends, really my best friends.
I think the key to this is always being there for them for the good, the bad and the ugly. Foster trust that you have their back no matter what! Lines of communication always open, again, no matter what. Have fun, laugh and spend time together. Give love and boundaries and always be kind and loving. Enjoy them.
Such a satisfying feeling having your kids being independent and yet still stay close (not just geographically). Mine both live within 1.5 hours away from me. We meet for impromptu lunches and such. Those are my best days. I could never move away from them even though we live in the most unfriendly retirement state. I’d never give that up.

 

[Petalouda]

My kiddos are adults and I have maintained a very healthy relationship with them as they’ve grown up. I would now call them real friends, really my best friends.
I think the key to this is always being there for them for the good, the bad and the ugly. Foster trust that you have their back no matter what! Lines of communication always open, again, no matter what. Have fun, laugh and spend time together. Give love and boundaries and always be kind and loving. Enjoy them.
Such a satisfying feeling having your kids being independent and yet still stay close (not just geographically). Mine both live within 1.5 hours away from me. We meet for impromptu lunches and such. Those are my best days. I could never move away from them even though we live in the most unfriendly retirement state. I’d never give that up.

Thank you so much for your advice! I love what a close relationship you have with your kids and how much you do enjoy them and have enjoyed them. That’s something that can get lost in the busyness of life - enjoying your family. Extracurricular activities pile up fast and I’m fighting tooth and nail to keep our Saturdays as open as possible so we can do stuff together as a family.

 

[Un_Petit_Rayon_de_Soleil]

Congratulations!!!! What a beautiful accomplishment and how amazing your kids are doing well. My kids are 4 and 8 and I cry all the time thinking about them leaving and I already miss their younger years so much. I would love for my children to remain close to us and to each other when they are adults as it seems yours have. What advice, if you’re willing, would you give me on raising independent children and on fostering a close (but healthy) relationship with them and them with each other?

We did a lot of traveling and family activities. Tons of family outings and activities. I think love and guidance is really

My kiddos are adults and I have maintained a very healthy relationship with them as they’ve grown up. I would now call them real friends, really my best friends.
I think the key to this is always being there for them for the good, the bad and the ugly. Foster trust that you have their back no matter what! Lines of communication always open, again, no matter what. Have fun, laugh and spend time together. Give love and boundaries and always be kind and loving. Enjoy them.
Such a satisfying feeling having your kids being independent and yet still stay close (not just geographically). Mine both live within 1.5 hours away from me. We meet for impromptu lunches and such. Those are my best days. I could never move away from them even though we live in the most unfriendly retirement state. I’d never give that up.

I agree with all of this on every level. We do family dinners weekly and a lot of impromptu lunches. Generally we try to take turns what kids "turn" it is for everyone to go to them. Definitely a lot of spontaneous trips and fun activities. We all speak daily on group calls as well. I soak up as much as I can. I would definitely agree that my kids are my very best friends (along with dh). I just enjoy them so much.

 

[Un_Petit_Rayon_de_Soleil]

Thank you so much for your advice! I love what a close relationship you have with your kids and how much you do enjoy them and have enjoyed them. That’s something that can get lost in the busyness of life - enjoying your family. Extracurricular activities pile up fast and I’m fighting tooth and nail to keep our Saturdays as open as possible so we can do stuff together as a family.

I totally understand all the extracurricular activities going crazy. I always tried to keep one day free per week and we did our best to stick to it. It isn't always possible but we tried. Enjoy your kids and your time. Be there to support them and guide them. Show up for the good and difficult. They will respect you for it. It sounds like you are doing a great job being there for your family!